26 March 2011Fate of island penguins appears sealed as hunted become hunters
(Australia)
If Simone Somerfield had her way, she would teach the little
penguins that come to nest at her Penneshaw Penguin Centre on Kangaroo
Island not to swim. It is the only way she can think of stopping what
she says is the wholesale slaughter of her flock by an exploding population
of New Zealand fur seals on Kangaroo Island, south of Adelaide. Numbers
of little penguins at Ms Somerfield's Penneshaw centre have collapsed
from 200 birds three years ago to less than half a dozen today.Read
The Australian article

25 March 2011UK penguins in rehab after devastating oil spill
(Tristan da Cunha)
Almost 500 oil-soaked rockhopper
penguins in the South Atlantic have now been put into 'rehab' by Tristan
Islanders facing a race against the clock to help save the endangered
species. But those assessing the impact of the disaster believe more than
10,000 birds could have been affected. The grounded cargo vessel MS
Oliva crashed into Nightingale island - part of the Tristan da Cunha
UK overseas territory - on 16 March, and local conservationists and volunteers
have been working tirelessly ever since to help the threatened birds.Read
RSPB press release

24 March 2011The Office Zoo patient declared seaworthy
(New Zealand)
After two months of rest and fattening up at Wellington
Zoo, a little penguin has
been released back into the ocean. The penguin was one of two starving,
malnourished fledglings taken into the zoo in late January - the other
bird died soon after. Restored to full health, the chick was released
by zoo staff at Moa Point and disappeared into the sea.Read
The Dominion Post article at Stuff.co.nz

21 March 2011UK penguins in peril as grounded
ship threatens twin environmental disaster
(Tristan da Cunha)
A grounded cargo vessel has been wrecked on Nightingale Island –
part of the Tristan da Cunha UK overseas territory in the South Atlantic
– and an oil spill now threatens wildlife, including nearly half
of the world's population of northern rockhopper
penguins, which are classified as endangered on the IUCN
Red List. Read
RSPB press release

Penguins hatch a record chick count(Australia)
Under the watchful eye of their canine protectors, the little
penguins on Warrnambool's Middle Island in Victoria have had another record-breaking
breeding season. Recent counts show the island is providing a secure breeding
habitat for about 180 adult penguins - more than triple the population
of 51 penguins recorded in 2008.Read
The Warrnambool Standard article

20 March 2011Fears for penguins being pinched from Granite Island(Australia)
The unthinkable is happening at Victor Harbor, South Australia, where
vandals are regularly climbing security fences at Granite Island to steal
little
penguins from the already dwindling population. The number of penguins
on the island has dropped from more than 1500 birds 10 years ago to just
146 birds counted in last August's census. Granite
Island Penguin Centre co-ordinator Dorothy Longden wants the causeway
to the island closed off at night to stop vandals from stealing penguins
and ruining their habitat.Read
Sunday Mail article at Adelaide Now

12 March 2011Better after hospital stay
(New Zealand)
After a tough start to life, six yellow-eyed
penguins will head back to the wild today. Glen Riley of Penguin
Place said the birds had put on more than 2kg and now weighed up to
5.5kg, a safe weight for them to be released in the Catlins. The 4-month-old
penguins have spent nearly a month at the Otago Peninsula penguin hospital,
after an initial fortnight with Department
of Conservation Owaka ranger Cheryl Pullar.Read
Otago Daily Times article

10 March 2011First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony
(Antarctica)
Scientists at British
Antarctic Survey (BAS) have recently described the loss of a small
colony of emperor
penguins on an island off the West Antarctic Peninsula. The loss is attributed
to reduced sea ice, which provides an important nesting substrate for
the penguins as well as an important foraging habitat. Reporting in the
February edition of the scientific journal PLoS
ONE, researchers from BAS and Scott
Polar Research Institute (SPRI) say that this is the first time the
disappearance of an emperor penguin colony has been documented.Read
BAS article

8 March 2011"Penguin-cam" reveals secrets of life below the ice(Antarctica)
The secret life of Adelie
penguins is not quite so secret anymore, thanks to scientists from the
National Institute
of Polar Research, Japan, who attached video cameras to the backs
of birds for a rare active glimpse of life as a penguin sees it. Read
Reuters article

4 March 2011Science dusts of penguins for 80th birthday
(Australia)
Scientists have come up with a novel way of ''dry cleaning'' Phillip Island's
famed little
penguins. As the island prepares to mark the penguin parade's 80th anniversary
- which attracts more than 500,000 visitors a year - researchers John
Orbell from Victoria University
and Peter Dann from Phillip
Island Nature Parks are testing a new method of cleaning oil from
the birds' feathers.Read
Sydney Morning Herald article

Zero tolerance for dog owners next penguin breeding season
(Australia)
Zero tolerance will be shown to dog owners walking their pets without
a leash around Federation Point as part of a new action plan to provide
better protection for Manly's nesting little
penguins in the upcoming breeding season. The action plan by the NSW Department
of Environment Climate Change and Water (DECCW) and Manly Council
aims to reduce the chance of dog attacks - the biggest threat to birds
in the area - and improve community education about the endangered population.
Read
DECCW media release